


Heaven Out Of Hell

by WhiskyAndWax13



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Lexa Lives, POV Clarke, POV Lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 23:01:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9262154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskyAndWax13/pseuds/WhiskyAndWax13
Summary: "Sometimes we fight wars we're both not ready to win nor lose."Clarke watched as  Anya set the glass before her and left in silence.She wondered how much more Jack Daniel's it would take to forget those green eyes and finally sleep.





	1. Byegone

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I last wrote something, let me know what you think.  
> It starts a bit slow but it gets better, I promise :)

It was a warm and sunny day in Arkadia. Spring had just started bursting in it's full-force, an explosion of colours and life in the countryside, with the Zephyr blowing kind through the trees and fresh flowers blossoming in every corner, a perfect weather and a peaceful breeze.

Clarke Griffin was sixteen and wouldn't remember any of those things about that day.

She would remember smelling ash and dust from the pyre set carelessly over the green grass, the fire burning relentless what was left of her father's body, the sting in her eyes and the lump in her throath while her soul caved in, leaving her feeling hollow and sick in the stomach while she stood staring.

She felt her mother squeeze her shoulders while watching powerless as the man she loved left them behind, although the girl didn't really feel anything but a heavy head and a hole in her chest.

Clarke was sixteen and she lost herself, along the person she cherished the most in the world.

 

*

 

They told her it was an accident. That it was an unfortunate chance that he was walking through the shadow of the trees and a hunter must have mistaken him for some beast. Clarke though they could have at least tried to find something believable to say. Jake was found with three bullets in his chest after a hundred feet fall off of a cliff.

"He was a good man." they said and they made it sound so dull she wanted to scream.

She threw up for days even though she couldn't eat.

 

 

*

 

5 years later...

 

 

"Is there any chance you could be more annoying?"

"Is that a challenge? 'Cause you know I never back down, O."  
Raven proceeded to sit on the younger girl's lap and started bouncing just to make sure to get the message across.

"Raven, I swear to God... One day you're gonna wake with your eyebrows shaved and one of your crazy inventions up your ass! Get off of me!" Octavia grunted trying to push the girl away. "And for fuck's sake! Stop burning shit for fun! This house smells like a fucking factory!"

"It's called 'science' and you're just witnessing talent in it's purest form!" declared Raven proudly. "I just created a little hybrid rocket engine out of pasta, yeast and mouthwash!"

"Why couldn't you just do drugs like all the kids your age?" complained the smaller girl wrestling to get up from the couch.

"You're just envious of my brains, sweetheart" answered Raven smiling anfazed.

Octavia huffed unimpressed and was about to retort with some really graphic threat when they heard a loud noise and a whimper coming from another room.

"Clarke...? Did you die?" asked Raven exchanging a look with the other brunette. The answer came after a minute with a blonde girl emerging from the kitchen holding a very bleeding forehead with one hand and klutching a wooden spoon in the other.

"Who moved the damn shelf?" whined Clarke looking defeated.

"I'm pretty sure it's been stuck to the same wall since they started renting the apartment, dear Elle Driver!" Mocked Raven not even trying to hold back from laughing.

"I swear it moved! It's sentient and it hates me!"

"Clarke Griffin, my friend, you're an endless source of entertainment"

"I just wanted to make dinner for us! To celebrate our first month together without anyone dying from Raven's experiments or getting seriously injured by Octavia's krav maga trainings!"

"Well you almost broke the record killing yourself on the stove, great performance" smirked Octavia.

"I was trying to be nice! I'll make sure it never happens again, you treacherous assholes!"

"Aaaawww, come here you lovely minion!"

Clarke let Raven hug her and circled the girl's waist with her arms mumbling "I'm not blind, I hit my head, I didn't lose an eye"  
Octavia joined them soon after calling a group hug.

"I hate you" muttered the blonde "but I'm glad we're living together."

"Me too, C.G.!"

"Yeah well, ecxept Raven's systematic fire hazard and other countless menaces, I guess it's not that bad"

They started to see to Clarke's wound when another strange sound coming from the kitchen alerted them that something was boiling and spilling from the stove and they got there just in time to catch the pan emitting weird blue flames.

Needless to say, Clarke was banned from the kitchen untill further notice.

 

*

 

"Soooo..." started Raven laying back on her seat in the small café they usually hung out at.

"What?" snapped Clarke right before hiding behind her cup, a band-aid above her right eyebrow.

She knew where this was headed: since she and Raven found out about each other and dumped Finn almost two years before, she had been too focused on her studies and stopped showing interest in dating. And the fact started poppin' up in their conversations way too often ever since Octavia became official with Lincoln and the engineer started going out on the weekend on a partying spree.

The thing was, Finn wasn't really a bad guy. He was just very confused and didn't deal with the situation exactly in the best of ways but she wasn't really that mad at him from the start, to be honest.  
It still hurt, though. She liked him and she thought she could have loved him, even, if things had gone differently.

He'd led her through the pain of finding out her father had really been killed and helped her in her dedicated investigations when she didn't know where to start or how to cope. He just was there.

So she wasn't still hung up on him but it hurt nontheless because she didn't know if she could go through the heartache and disappointment again.

That's why Raven had been so relentlessly teasing her about the girl she caught her staring at a few days prior right there in that bar.

"Any new sighting of the mysterious Belle?"

Clarke just shrugged and kept drinking. Raven started calling the girl 'Belle' because, really, she was just a big Disney addict (in case the fact that she kept calling the younger Blake 'Pocahonctavias' didn't give it away) and the girl always seemed to be reading whenever they caught sight of her.

And, Lord, what a sight she was.

The first time Clarke noticed her she felt like the world stopped moving.

Lean, delicate, with long brown wavy hair neatly tied in a bun and perfect skin. She was reading William Blake sitting by the window, face scrunched up in concentration, lightly biting the edge of a pen while the last rays of daylight cast shadows and an orange glimmer on her that made her look ethereal, surreal perfection, like the greatest masterpiece from the most talented hand, and Clarke itched to paint her right as she was in that moment, collect every single detail of her shades, the neatness of her stance, the flawless symmetry of her face, and print it to not ever lose it to time for, God knows, she had it carved in her memory for eternity.

She almost slapped herself because, what the hell was that, some kind of cheesy rom-com? She felt stupid, and also a big creepy freak for staring so anabashedly but, boy, she really couldn't help it.

By the time Raven abruply woke her up from her trance elbowing her in the ribs she was already too far gone. She never believed in love at first sight but this... This sure as hell was the closest she'd ever get to it.

"Pick up your jaw, wipe your mouth and just fuckin' ask her out already!"

The brunette closed her mouth with a light tap to her chin and made her way towards the door snickering like a hyena. Clarke followed her after a bit, still dumbfounded and deeply embarassed.

That led to that day's inquisition.

"Okay Clarke... Let's face it! You've been obsessing over this girl for days! You draw her, you stare at her, you sing about her, plus it's starting to be really obvious even when you just think about her" Clarke frowned at her. "don't look at me like that... You have that face that gives you away... Just be a big girl and go talk to her!"

"As much as it pains me to say it, Raven's right. If I hear you sing your version of La Belle Dame Sans Merci once again I'm sure I'll turn into a lovesick unicorn and ride off towards the sunset on a rainbow shore!"

"That was a very weird and meticulous description, O."

"Ssssshut up, Rae!"

"She still has a point, though."

"Knock it off! I'm not obsessed, ok? You just decided I was! Yes, she's pretty but that's all it is!" The girl was getting defensive but she really didn't know what to do when her friends kept throwing her those unpersuaded looks. "I don't need to find someone to be happy, I don't have time anyway..."

Raven and Octavia clearly still weren't convinced but they decided to drop this converation and changed the topic to Lincoln's family having recently moved to Polis.  
Clarke sighed slightly. She really didn't need to be publicly humiliated right now, she had too much on her mind, anyway.

She barely caught Octavia saying "Well, I'm going to meet them next Friday and I need your support... You gon' be there?"

 

*

 

Clarke was usually a very attentive person.  
She couldn't cook to save her life but apart from that she was fairly accurate and deeply perceptive.  
So when she got home one day to an empty house and found that her stuff, the containts of her wardrobe, her nightstand drawer and desk (although apparently untouched) weren't as she left them that morning she knew something was wrong.  
She found her phone in the pocket of her jacket and searched for the only contact that she knew could help her.

"I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me, princess" answered a deep and hoarse voice after a few seconds.

"What happened to the bold and self-confident boy that brought two girls home at once after prom? Or the one that helped me fold my ex's car in toilette paper and vinyl glue but told me not to spread the story 'cause it was too cool and he already had more chicks than he could deal with at his feet? I must have gotten the wrong number..."

Bellamy chuckled quietly. "I guess he became extremely modest as well"

"Oh, really? Maybe he's just gettin' old"

Hearing Bellamy laugh made the girl feel instantly better, safer. She'd known him for a few years now and although they got off to a rough start, they slowly became close friends and shared both good and bad times in the past. Being a few years older than them he had already graduated from academy and started working as a police officer in Arkadia.

"So... Are you gonna tell me why you're calling me out of the blue, on a weekday and to make small talk? Not that it's unwanted, it's just not like you"

"No... Yeah, you're right... It's about- you remember I told I had a feeling that I was being followed and didn't know if I was just being paranoid and thought I needed a shrink?"

Bellamy remained silent for a beat, Clarke could practically feel him scowling.

"Sure. You said you probably were just stressed out and not to worry about it."

"Right. Great." the girl breathed deeply. "I think I need you to worry now."

"Okay, I'm listening."

 

She met him two days later in a pub, hugged him and thanked him for coming all the way from Arkadia on such a short notice.

"I remembered you less... Muscular" she said with a chuckle looking him up and down.

"What can I say, I'm still young and growin' up" he smiled and two deep dimples formed on his cheeks. "By the way, I remembered you less short"

"Fuck you, Bell!"

"Nah, sorry but you're more like a sister to me"

They both laughed, ordered and took a sit.

"Look, I know this sounds crazy... It's just that I can't get rid of this bad feeling I have about this whole thing. My dad was murdered! I know for sure! And whoever did it must be really bothered by the fact that I'm still investigating."

"You need to give me details though, Clarke... I can't officially reopen the case unless we find some conclusive evidence that Jake was killed on purpose. My hands are tied."

"I know. Look, a few years ago I found this folder in the basement room of my grandfather's house. It contained some documents and a letter from my dad addressed to some J. that said he found out about the VCM and wasn't going to keep silent and become a killer for connivance." She paused and took a deep breath. After all this time it still was agonizing to speak about it. "I gave everything to my friend Wells, he knew some people that could help so we started working together. We thought whatever those papers were about they had to be connected to Ark Inc., the firm my father and his worked for, but we couldn't know for sure."

She stopped and breathed again, trying to dull the ache she felt tightening her chest at the thought.

"Wells died within two months. One day he called me saying he had great news and that maybe he knew who the man of the letter was. I was going to meet him at his place but he was killed by a robber and never made it home."

Clarke felt the tears starting to burn in her eyes but she held them back and waited for Bellamy to say something.

"I'm sorry about your friend." he offered quietly. "Can I see this folder?"

She shook her head. "Gone, after that day. Everything we had disappeared." she croaked.

"Do you think...?"

"I'm sure of it Bell... It can't be a coincidence. For a while my mom tried to give me medical help, got me to talk to a psychologist. They believed my brain was coping with everything in it's crazy way but I'm not a lunatic, Bell! I'm not delusional and if I got my best friend killed for helping me I... I just need to know. I owe him as much."

Bellamy sat there looking understandingly at his friend. He took her hand in a comforting gesture and whispered. "I know it's probably hard to hear it but it's been years... The probability of finding anything about this case after so long are close to none." He then retracted his hand and sighed, deep in thought. "I have a friend that works at the archives. I'll see what I can find. Right now I need you to be careful though. If you're right then it's likely that someone thinks you know more than you do. That might be the reason they rummaged through your things. Just don't do anything stupid and wait 'till I come back."

"I'm not a kid and I'm not stupid! I don't need you to..."

"I know" he interrupted her. "Believe me, I do. But this sounds like a dangerous situation and I just need you to be careful and stay safe."

 

When Clarke got home that night she bypassed Octavia and Raven binge-watching The Mentalist on the couch and ignored the questioning look they shared mumbling she had study to catch up on.  
She laid on her bed instead and spent hours staring at the ceiling with the memory of kind, brown eyes heavy on her conscience and on her chest.

One thing she knew for sure: wether it was revenge or redemption she was looking for, she would do anything to get justice for the ones she had lost.  
And maybe that way she would find some peace, some day.


	2. Far Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Nia Queen was sure as hell the most powerful of her opponents, with her regal ways and unwavering look.  
> She took a seat with the confidence of an empress and only then her glacial eyes fell on the girl like an hawk studying its prey.-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Lexa's background, I hope it's not too long but I think it was needed.  
> Please, let me know what you think about it :)

.

 

 

 

 

“How can you stay outside?  
There’s a beautiful mess inside.”  
(Yael Naim)

 

 

 

Alexandria Woods was born in September 22 in the suburbs of Polis.  
From the very moment she was born her life was defaced by the unmerciful hand of fate: her mother died giving her birth and her father, after a few months of troubled grieving and drunken coping, followed her crashing against a truck with his car.

 

***

 

Turns out Alexandria had relatives in DC and it saved her from the system.  
Gustus Woods was her father's brother and the farthest thing from a loving parental figure one could ever imagine, but he took her in and raised her as his nonetheless.

He was a tall, brawny man, with a thick beard and a remarkable disdain for the law for someone as dutiful as he was. He looked a bit like a grizzly bear, all dark and strong and territorial and firm, but he had sharp eyes, a shrewd mind and, deep down, his heart was broader than his chest.

He had a new-born baby son named Lincoln and a daughter a couple years older than Alexandria that he loved more than anything in the world (even though he almost never let it show) whose name was Anya and had the same sharp look and quick wit as her father and her mother's lean figure and dirty blond hair. She seemed to be unable to articulate her cousin's name so she started calling her "Leksa" and it stuck.

Lexa's first few years with Gustus Woods were quite calm. She grew up running and fighting and playing with her cousins and hearing her uncle's thrilling war stories.

She started reading when she was five and kept devouring book after book avidly from that moment on. By the time she turned thirteen she knew more about history than a history major and knew how to speak three languages fluently.

She also was pretty confident with her physical prowess since she practised multiple martial arts and parkour with Anya's crew.

She had a happy childhood, after all, and yet she could never shake off the feeling that something was missing. She tried to keep as busy as possible to avoid that restlessness but it was rapidly seeping in.

She always felt like she had to make up for everything she had, like she needed to prove to be deserving of it. However much she tried, she couldn't find a purpose.

Things took a drastic turn when she turned sixteen and a man named Titus knocked at their door to tell her she had her mother's legacy to dispose of.

Little did she know that her dream and birthright would become her curse.

 

***

 

Five years later Lexa found herself moving in with her cousin. They had both been living in Polis for a few years but while she had a society to run and thus lived in it's premises, Anya never liked it there and had her own place in Brook Hamlet, in West Polis.

The area was nice and the neighbourood mainly quiet, which Lexa appreciated deeply, and she found herself settling in quite soon.

Her roommate, on the other hand, was a real pain in the ass.

"Hey grumpypants, are you aiming to blend with the couch or are you just improving your camouflage technique?" asked Anya as she sat next to her.

Lexa looked down and to her chagrin she was actually wearing a shirt about the same amber colour as the couch, so she just threw her sister a look and silently went back to reading.

"Ozymandias again? Do they give you a prize if you read it a hundred times or what?"

"Do they give you money to interrupt me or do you just take pleasure in pestering me?"

Anya snickered. "Both." she said. "So... What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Isn't it Friday?"

"Yes, dear."

"As in Lincoln's Friday..."

"Also correct."

"As in the night you meet with Lincoln's girlfriend." she went on as she closed the book reckoning her moment of serenity was over.

"Aren't you growing smarter everyday..." Mocked Anya.

"Then I suppose I will stay home and enjoy the quiet while you're away."

Anya huffed. “Lexa, you're my baby cousin and I love you, really, but sometimes I really want to strangle you.”

“Anya, you know I never make a good impression with common people. We talked about it, you can't force me to go out and live your normal life… I lost all rights for that years ago when I accepted my position. I'm not really a people's person, anyway, so I really don't get of what contribution my attendance could ever be.”

“But it's just a drink and who gives a shit if you make a good impression or not? Lincoln wants you to be there so you should just make an effort and come, it's that simple!”

“Lincoln can come meet me whenever he wants.”

Anya cast her a stern look and pressed on. "He's your family and you haven't seen him in months! You just keep letting that bald deadshit geezer mess with your head and spend the rest of your time looking after that congregation of dimwits they put you in charge of!" she snapped. "You're so deep in Titus' bullshits that you don't even remember who's your real family"

Lexa remained silent for a bit. Anya was making it personal and she didn't want to stir up a fight.

"I take it my presence to this thing tomorrow is really essential to you."

The blonde cocked one eyebrow in her characteristic 'no shit' look. Lexa sighed.

"Okay, fine! Drinks on you, though"

"This is not a negotiation" said her cousin throwing a comforter at her.

"Scrooge" she muttered as she countered.

"But I'm glad you finally got back to your senses… for a while you’ve had your head so far up your ass I thought you would choke on your own fart"

Lexa grimaced. "Well, that's disgusting"

"So is your face, munchkin!"

 

***

 

Looked at through unsuspecting eyes the Ground Code seemed like an average pub placed in the industrial zone's backwater. With a big wooden sign, dark maple walls and a sallow dim light, it hosted the most patchy assorted patronage ever. Probably because of its hostile vibe and scarce lighting its clientele was mainly made of large fierce men and creepy ugly mugs.

Noone in their right mind wanted to mess with them and that's exactly what made the Ground Code such a perfect place to run a not so legal organization as Trikru.

When Lexa reached the front door she found Ryder waiting for her. She offered him a nod as a sign of recognition and they silently got in. It was still dark inside and Lexa could barely make out the outlines of the counter in the faint light leaking in through the glass.  
They made it to the assembly room deep down in the basements, where Lexa set on her seat in the farthest side of the chamber, directly in front of the doors, while Ryder took his place beside the treshold, and they waited.

One by one, the members of the coalition made their appearance taking place in a half circle all over the room.

Lexa recognized first Uzac from Yujleda, a gaunt young man with a sharp nose and scrutinizing eyes. Then Konzen from Sangeda, dark and gilded, his black eyes always lit with both great wherewithal and a subtle greed he barely ever tried to conceal.  
Then there was Dashka from Louwoda Kliron and Yanariel from Trishana and soon there were nine ambassadors, Lexa, Titus and Ryder in the room.  
She started to feel apprehension forming a lump in her throath.

This was the first time in ages the Kongeda gathered in one place to share a purpose and she couldn’t let anything go wrong.

She could hear Titus starting to get restless by her side. “Heda, I told you they would never comply with this. Azgeda is too much of a threat to be trusted.”

Lexa remained silent and waited. No one wanted to ignore responsibilities and make Azgeda pay more than she did, but she had a duty towards her people and she would make right by them avoiding a useless war, no matter how hard was the task.

“Floudon appears to be missing as well.” Titus whispered be side her. “You should take into account that they might not intend to be part of your coalition.”

“I already have.” Said Lexa after a beat. And the thought of what would happen if they did kept her up at night for the last two weeks.

As if answering her prayers, a large, tanned man with long brown hair and a deep scar on his left eyebrow entered the room.

“Heda, my apologies. I hope my delay didn't cause any inconvenience.” He said with a low voice and a small bow.

“Derrick. I'm glad you made it.” She offered.

As he took place silently, the door opened again.

And there she was.

Majestic and daunting and powerful. She walked in with arrogance and boldness, a smug smile on her face, and Lexa had to fight the urge to reach out for her knife and slit her throat.

She smiled wickedly at Lexa and her hand twitched from where it was gripping the armrest.

Nia Queen was sure as hell the most powerful of her opponents, with her regal ways and unwavering look.  
She took a seat with the confidence of an empress and only then her glacial eyes fell on the girl like an hawk studying its prey.

Lexa subtly tensed and then she spoke.  
“Now that we are all present, there's a matter that I believe involves us all that I wish to discuss.” Started Lexa with an even voice. The room was so silent she could hear her own jaw clenching. “It has been brought to my attention that all of our sentries have reported movements from an unidentified association that has been violating our system and business for some time.”

She stood slowly and started walking across the room, her nerves hidden but intensely felt.

“I also am aware that you all have lost as many men as I have to this lurking threat. Thus my claim is simple… let us all cooperate in this fight against our common enemy as we were meant to from the start and protect our people together.”

Another pause. The tension was so heavy she could barely breathe.

Then Orid from Boudalan, a man with dark hair and beard and white skin who had big brown eyes and a strong resemblance to a stray dog, stood and spoke, his voice low and hoarse like a bark.  
"I’ve seen more than enough of my people die. If joining forces we can take down those bastards, my army and resources will gladly assist.”

Titus looked concerned when she turned to him but all of the ambassadors slowly voiced their approval and Lexa felt her breath come easier with each consent.

“I know what I'm doing.” She murmured when she walked back to her seat where her counselor was standing.

“I fervently hope so.” He told her.

As she turned to meet icy silver eyes dissecting her with a rapacious glance, she found that she couldn't disagree with him.

 

***

 

It was late in the evening when she got back home that day. Anya was nowhere to be seen and for a moment she considered bailing out, but then the thought of a furious Anya scolding her popped in her mind and she reconsidered.  
She took some time to undress and got in the shower.

She felt heavy and spent. Seeing Nia again knowing she couldn't lay a finger on her without shattering everything she worked so hard to create had taken It’s toll on her.

She thought of Costia, hoping she would be proud of her and everything she did in the past two years, and felt her heart clenching in her chest. The thought alone still made her want to scream and cry and hurt herself untill she forgot the pain.

She could hide and pretend and lie all she wanted but she could never numb the pain.

She still felt everything. She felt so much she thought it would destroy her one day.

So she gave herself a few minutes to let the water cleanse the strains of that day and then got dressed.  
She put on a white blouse and some jeans, with a mousy cardigan sweater and black ankleboots and reluctantly called her cousin.

She really wanted that day to be over soon.


	3. Renegades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- I wanted to thank insonnia and sleep deprivation for helping me out with this. Time between shfts at work I should have used to sleep, I'm sorry you had to go. -

“It’'s our time to make a move  
it's our time to make amends  
it's our time to breake the rules  
let's begin.”  
(X Ambassadors)

 

 

 

For a couple days Clarke had been doing everything Bellamy told her to in order to be safe and not to draw anymore attentions on her.

There were a few moments when she could swear she heard the click of a camera or footsteps following her, so she stayed in the crowds most of the time and, by the time she reached Friday, she was starting to feel like a hunted quarry.

On Friday morning Raven and her went back to the Busy Bean's, their usual café, and Clarke could tell her friend noticed something wrong with her and that she was waiting for her to bring it up once she was ready.  
Clarke was thankful for that. A lot.

And yet, she didn’t know how to tell them ‘Hey, I think the rogues that killed my father want to probably kill me as well! Yay!’ though at the same time she felt bad for keeping this big of a secret from them… it was hard to pretend she wasn't scared to death. 

Raven anyway always knew how to create a good distraction. She had just taught her a game in which you basically flicked a coin untill the edge of the table, then flipped it and had to catch it with both thumbs mid air to try to score the goal.

Needless to say, when the waitress got there she was miserably losing.

“Sorry Clarke, I'm just that awesome!” grinned the girl.

Clarke snorted, ordered a white coffee and took out her phone while Raven did the same.

Several minutes passed and Clarke presumed Raven had been on her phone as well, but when their orders arrived the blonde raised her eyes to find her friend looking at something behind her with a disgruntled expression.

She turned back just as Raven started whining “ I can't believe I've just been cockblocked by Steve Jobs!”

“What happened?” asked Clarke with a laugh.

“Look! Tall, dirty blond hair, killer cheekbones and almond eyes, see?” She looked and indeed she saw a girl that fitted the description perfectly. She gave a bit of an intimidating vibe with her even expression and austere gaze, still she was undoubtedly pretty nontheless. “I swear she's been staring at me for the past three minutes! I thought we were having a moment and then -Bam!- she takes her phone out and turns away.”

Clarke giggled as the brunette scoffed indignantly, but when she turned back again she saw the girl definitely looking at her friend and smiled. “I think I remember someone telling me to grow a pair and just go for it. Guess it's my turn to say it… go talk to her!”

Raven just made a face and said “Nah, I'll wait for her to realize I'm so great that she can't live without getting to know me or something like that…”

Clarke rolled her eyes.  
“Yeah, sure… what if she doesn't?”

“Her loss” stated Raven with a shrug.

The blonde was about to retort when her phone started vibrating.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” She excused herself and got out. “Hey Bell! What’s up?”

Bellamy's hoarse voice greeted her from the device. “I have something… think you can meet me?”

“Ok, where and when?”

“Your place, now.”

She heard Bellamy hangin' up and looked at her phone with a puzzled expression for a second before going back in to tell Raven.

“Rae… something came up, I have to go”

“If I weren't a real delight I'd think you're just trying to get rid of me” joked the brunette.

“You know I couldn't if I wanted to” said the blonde with a smile. “I’m really sorry, though”

“Don't worry, I have to get to work in half an hour anyway” answered Raven with a shrug as they took their leave.

She pretty much ran home and found the man waiting for her on her front door. She greeted him and led him inside.  
“So, I've been reading files from old cases for the most part of these days.” He started once they were both sitting on the couch. “At first I thought I was just wasting time, but then I found these”

He laid some documents on the table before them and waited for Clarke to read them.  
The first few pages were just reports about strange demises in Arkadia throughout the last ten years. Most of them had been caused by several deseases some of which had been later connected to VCM poisoning.  
Some others instead were victims of homicides by unknowns left unsolved still.

“These are just the ones that have been reported, who knows how many more have been disguised as casualties…” He said gathering the files back.

“So you're saying we were right about the VCM.”

“Yes but there's something that doesn't quite fit.” He said as he put the papers back in their folder. “These cases all lead to Ark Inc. Most of the victims were employees and their relatives, but apparently there's no evidence of them handling vynil chloride in their premises. None of their industries work with it and there's nothing hinting a connection between any of their top dogs or employees and any of the other crimes.”

“ Of course not…” mumbled Clarke feeling defeated.

Bellamy smiled sadly and squeeze her shoulder. “Don’t be sad… I'm sure we'll find something eventually. Don't forget I'm a great cop” he said with a wink.

“Thank you, Bell” Said the girl with a small smile.

“There's something else, though… I've been visiting Arkham and I've met some interesting individuals.”

“Arkham as in the criminal asylum?” She asked with a frown.

“Precisely. And not all of the residents there are quite as loony as they're made out to be.”

“Get to the point Bell.”

He grinned. “I might have met a few guys with interesting things to say about a secret organization that, according to hearsays, operates here in Polis and has been for a long time, but has taken root in places scattered throughout the country. I haven't verified this information yet, but some believe that they might be responsible for some of these murders and I'm willing to take a shot.”

Clarke gave him a skeptical look but didn't say anything.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy but I think if we follow this lead we might shed some light on this riddle and move forward. You just keep doing what you're doing. I'm gonna scout this Ground Code I've been told about and see if there's anything suspitious there.”

Clarke still wasn't convinced but she knew once Bellamy was set on something there was very little she could do to make him change his mind. He usually learned the hard way, anyhow.

“Just be careful, ok? I know I'm the one that asked you to investigate but don't make me worry about you.” She told him as she stood.

“Are you growing soft on me, now? If I didn’t know any better I’d think you care about me” He answered with a smug smile.

“Against my better judgement, I guess I do, so don't go jump into danger recklessly as you usually do, please.” She said leaning for a hug and holding him tightly for a moment as he reciprocated.

Right in that moment they heard the door open and found Octavia looking at them with a stunned expression and her mouth agape in shock. She looked at them like they'd grown an additional head each for a beat, then Bellamy broke the silence and greeted her with a hug.

“Hey baby sis!”

She looked still a bit dazed but hugged him back nonetheless.

“Hey Bell, what are you doing in Polis?”

He looked at Clarke not knowing how much he could tell his sister about the matter and from the slightly panicked expression she was wearing he deduced the answer.

Octavia anyway just looked even more suspitious. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing, O… I was just here for a quick visit, since I had some business here in Polis I thought I'd come and say hi… I'm heading out now, anyway. It was good to see you, Clarke.”

“You too, Bell. Take care”

He kissed his sister on the cheek and left right after.

Once he was gone the brunette turned to her with an inquisitive look and a hand on her hip. Clarke seriously could never get around to how someone so small could be so intimidating.

“So…”

“So…?”

“Are you secretly fucking my brother?”

Clarke almost choked on air. That was so not what she was expecting.

“It's alright, you can tell me. I'm not gonna judge… I mean, Blake genes? We're irresistible! Genetically we're a catch.” She said raising one eyebrow. “I just don't understand why you would hide it from me. You're one of my best friends, he's my brother, two of the people I love the most in the world! I wouldn't have minded!”

“Octavia, wait… it's not like that. Bellamy and I are just friends-“

“Then what was that thing I just walked in on? You sure looked cozy there… plus I'm his sister and he thought about calling you first?”

“O, no… look, Bellamy is just doing me a favour, there's nothing between us”

The younger girl scoffed. “I really don't wanna know what kind of favour he was doing you, if you wanna be fuckbuddies that's not my business. Just know that if you ever want to stop being a secretive little bitch I'll be in my room, ready to talk” said the brunette as she made her way out of the living room.

Clarke was left looking dumbfounded after her, not really knowing what to say.

She shook her head and got ready for her afternoon classes.

 

***

 

When Clarke got home that evening she found Raven lounging on the couch watching documentaries about space and planets while eating cheetos.

She sat next to her after taking off her jacket and shoes and sighed.

“So…” Started her friend without looking at her.

“Oh God, not you too…” she huffed.

“Is it true, though?” Asked the brunette taking another fistful of her snack and throwing it into her mouth.

Clarke sighed again. “Of curse not! It was a friendly hug!”

“Mmh.”

“You don’t believe me.” Mumbled the blonde sinking in the couch, ready to bury her face in the comforter and scream.

“I do.”

“You do?” asked Clarke in surprise.

“Of curse I do. You and Bellamy have been friends for years and nothing ever happened. Plus it would have maybe made sense if you wanted to keep it secret from O but you would have told me, if this were the case.”

Clarke looked at her in astonishment. “Right… thanks, I guess. “

“I would have known anyway, ‘cause you wouldn't know subtle if it smacked you in the face… and don’t forget I'm a genius.” She added with a shrug.

Clarke sighed for the third time. “Good… brilliant.”

They kept watching the documentary in silence for a while untill Raven spoke again.

“There's something I don't understand, though.”

“What?”

Raven turned to look at her and the serious look in her big brown eyes made Clarke feel slightly uncomfortable.

“If you're not having an affair with Bellamy, which we have estabilished you aren't, what are you doing, exactly?”

“what do you mean?”

“Don't play dumb with me, Clarke… if it's something you don't wanna tell me, it's fine, I won't dig any further, but whatever it is its obviously eating away at you. I just want you to know that I'm here and I'm willing to help, if you'll let me.” She told her with conviction.

Clarke was left staring at her friend in awe. Raven really was something else.

“You don't always have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders alone, you know?”

A that Clarke practically tackled her and hugged her so tight Raven almost couldn't breathe, which made the brunette chuckle as she put her arms around her friend’s waist.

“I really wish I could, Rae… believe me.”

“I already told you, I do.”

“I love you”

“I bet, I'm awesome!”

“So what is it? The ‘hugs for everyone but Octavia' day? God, I feel so left out!”

Apparently Octavia was back from the gym and staring at the two with another curious look, although this time she was clearly biting back a smile.

“I swear I'm not fucking Raven behind your back!” The blonde blurted out quickly as she let go of the brunette.

“Jeez! No wonder why O didn’t believe you last time!” said Raven between laughters. Octavia joined her as she sat beside her on the couch. Clarke gave them an unimpressed look and then felt her phone buzzing in her pocket.

“Is it Bellamy? “

“Does he know about your crush on Belle?”

“Oh my God! Bell and Belle! Don't you ever get confused?”

“Ahah, really funny. It's my mum, you two have fun picking on me!” she said sticking out her tongue at them.

“Tell Abby ‘hi' for me!”

Clarke rolled her eyes and made it to her room before answering her mother's call.

“Hey mom”

“Hey, sweetheart… how are you?”

“Everything’s fine here. How are things back in Arkadia? “

“Same as ever, crazy days at the hospital and all. Jackson's out on an internship in Philadelphia and I'm stuck here with a man that peed himself approximately fifteen times in the last twenty minutes and an old woman covered in pustules and thank God for Cece that's been listening to me rant about this place for the last hour or else I really don't know what I would have done!”

Clarke chuckled. “Probably something your career would have been severely affected by. Say hi to Cece for me.”

“Sure… so how's it going with your studies?”

“I'm doing great mom, I'll be your favourite forensic scientist!”

“No doubt about that! Not that it’s a great accomplishment, you would be my favourite forensic scientist even if you didn’t know how to use a microscope or a computer.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping!” said Clarke with a grin as Abby chuckled.

“Are you coming back home next week?”

“I’ll try, mom.”

They made small talk for a little bit longer and then Abby had to go back to work.

In ten days it would be April 14, the day Jake died. She usually stayed home during those days and visited her father's grave with her mom but, even though she felt bad for it, she really didn't want to go this time.

She didn't need a reminder that Jake was gone. She still felt his absence everyday like a hole in her chest. She wanted to keep the good memories of him alive, she didn't want to stand looking at an epitaph on a stele with the image of his defaced body burning to ashes in her mind.

She laid down on her bed and was about to doze off when she felt her phone go off again.

She didn't recognize the caller's number but hesitantly answered at the third ring.

“Hello?”

She heard a bit of a ruckus for a while and then a young male voice asking “Clarke? Clarke Griffin?”

“Yes, it's me. Who's asking?”

“I’m sorry… my name's Nathan Miller, I work with Bellamy Blake. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you, I got your phone number from a friend at the station.”

She frowned and listened quietly as the man kept speaking.

“Bellamy told me he was going to meet you and I hoped you could tell me where he is ‘cause he's been untraceable since this morning.”

Her mind started racing with dreadful images of the things that might have possibly happened to him and she felt her heart stop.

‘Not again.’ She thought ‘Please, not again!’

“Clarke?”

“Yeah, I'm here…” she said with a calm she really didn't feel at all. “I think I know where he might be.”

“Good. I'm on my way to Polis, I'm almost there, can you give me directions?”

“It's a place called Ground Code. He said he was going there to follow some lead this morning. I'll meet you there.”

“Wait, I don't think its a good thing for a civilian to meddle with police business…”

“If I put him in danger you can bet your ass I'll do everything I can to get him out!”

She didn't wait for an answer as she hung up and exited the room.

“Hey, everything alright?” She met Octavia’s questioning glance as she put her shoes and jacket back on.

“Yeah… yeah, sure! I just… have some errands to run really fast” She intentionally avoided looking them in the   
eyes as she took her car keys.

“Is Abby ok?”

“Of course, O! Don't worry! I'd just forgotten about some things and now I'm really late, sorry for making you worry, I'll be back soon! Love you! Bye!”

She put on a fake smile, waved at them and closed the door behind her.

 

***

 

Twentythree minutes later she was waiting for Nathan to arrive.  
She was starting to get nervous and she didn't like standing before that place. At all.

It was filled with menacing shabby-looking men and very few, even scarier, women.  
Clarke felt like a duck during hunting season but was determined not to show it.

As she ignored the unflattering comments of a large bald man with one eye, she received a text from Octavia asking her if she was going to make it that night.

‘I hope so but I really don't think I can, O. Sorry' she texted back.

“Clarke?” She recognized the voice instantly and turned to find a tall young man with dark skin and neatly shaved beard and hair, squared broad shoulders and a sort of military stance.

“Nathan, right?”

He nodded and then turned towards the pub's front door. It didn't look dirty, but gloomy and somehow scary. The two exchanged a worried look and got in.

Suddenly it felt like all eyes had fallen on them. As soon as they crossed the door they were met with various glares and dirty looks, the smell of smoke, and some really distinctive hard rock music.

Clarke swallowed subtly and made her way to the counter with a wary Nathan at her side. A waiter with long brown dreadlocks and several tattoos on his face, neck and thick arms greeted them with a barely visibile nod and a scowl.

“Two beers, please.” Nathan asked.  
The man turned with a disapproving grunt and reluctantly tapped their drinks.

“Maybe we should have thought about a plan, first.” He whispered leaning close to her while taking out some money to pay.

She took her glass and rapidly scanned the place.

“We'll have to go freestyle… I hope you're not a lightweight.” She replied chugging a significant amount of her beer and heading straight towards the pool table.

She approached the biggest of them all, a heap of muscles on a tall, fierce man, with a mane of dark brown mohican hair and a long thick braided beard. Judging from his death stare, Nathan wouldn’t have been surprised if he had the habit to kill six men every morning before breakfast and eat their guts.  
That guy looked utterly lethal.

So the boy was more than a little appalled when Clarke stood right before him with a defying look on her face.

He was down right terrified.

“Up for a challenge?” She said with a meschievous voice picking up a stick to play.

“What’s the prize?” He growled, his voice hoarse and low as a thunder, Nathan felt it resonate through his whole body.

“If I win, you'll pay my drinks for the rest of the night.” Said the girl simply, keeping a straight face.

“What do I get?”

She gave him a sly smile and she dared get closer to him. “I pay for your drinks and you don't look like you're afraid of a little girl.”

He ground his teeth and gave her a nasty glare that would have been enough to make a man twice her size literally scared to death, and yet she didn't even flinch.

Nathan, for maybe the first time in his life, really wished he had a God to pray.

 

 

***


	4. Unbroken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait but work's been a bitch. I didn't have time to double-check so there might be a few mistakes. Plus (as you might have noticed) english's not my first language :P

.

 

 

‘So how can I explain the isolated rain that follows you?  
And wouldn't you agree running always slows you down?  
So welcome the pain and stop yourself from delayin' it  
‘cause the real life will never go away.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clarke was feeling fairly audacious.

She knew how to play. Her father had a real obsession for this game and, being the hopless engineer nerd he was, he had analyzed in detail each of its connotations.  
In addition, Clarke was nothing but a fast learner.

So she let the man think he was better for most of the game, always intentionally falling one step behind, moving around the table with subtle confidence.  
For what she had in mind she needed tu put on a show, an entertaining one, especially since any hope of coming down there unnoticed they undeniably lost the second they stepped in.

If she were to be honest, she was probably acting so brazenly only because she was sure enough that they wouldn't have been killed lightly in such a crowded place… but on the other hand she really wasn't all that certain.

So she kept trying to find all the little things that made her rival snap, lightly scratching her nails on the side of the table, talking to Nathan and giggling softly when it wasn’t her turn, slowly cracking her fingers.  
At some point she started whistling lowly, which made him grit his teeth and miss his shot.  
When her turn came, she easily managed to pot one of her balls so that they were even and then missed the second shot to let him hope.

It was a focus competition, right now. She needed to win and she needed them to believe she was more dangerous than she actually was.

Like, monumentally.

He got two in and then missed his last shot when Clarke started rythmically tapping her fingers on the wooden stick.  
By then, Clarke could practically feel him seething.

‘Pet peeves - 1 ; big bad man - 0’

She gave him a devilish smile and then proceeded to pot her last two balls with a single shot.  
She was raised by an engineer and also currently lived with one. If you mixed her knowledge of physics with her long experience, it really wasn't all that surprising.

Nathan had been holding his breath for roughly the whole game. She gave him a wink and bent down to pot the black number eight.

When the game ended with a winning Clarke, the man looked silently furious.

“I think you owe me a drink.” She said raising an eyebrow. “I’m Jane. Good game, by the way”

And then she was strolling away, Nathan in tow.

“How the hell did you do that?” he said under his breath when they took a seat by the counter.

“A lot of experience. No big deal, really.”

“No big deal?! Are you kidding me??”

The waiter approached them again with the same aversion and Clarke ordered another beer.

As Nathan watched her in awe, Clarke heard the seat on her other side move.

Big bad man had just taken place beside her and was sliding some money on the counter table.

“No beer, Diablo. Two whiskey.”

He laid his glaring and sqinting eyes on Clarke but waited for their drinks to be handed to them before speaking again.

“This is not a place for brats.” He told her.

“If I knew you were gonna hold a grudge I would have asked someone else to play.”

“You think you're brave.” He said taking his glass, flexing his right bicep in doing so, and Clarke couldn’t ignore that the size of that arm was definitely impressive. “People like you don't last long, here.” He drank all of his drink in one go and waved at the waiter for another.

“You sure talk a lot of shit for someone that just lost to a girl.”  
She retorted taking a sip and wincing at the burn it caused.

“What is your business here?”

She contemplated lying again and have him think she was just out to have some fun, but then decided against it. She needed him to take interest in them and talk.

“I’m looking for a friend.”

“You're in the wrong place, then.”

“How do you know?”

At that, his face contorted into something similar to a grin, he looked pleased with himself for some reason. “If he caused trouble here, you won't find him.”

She felt herself shiver at the implication and mentally kicked herself… this wasn't the time for guilt or doubts. Untill proven otherwise, Bellamy was alive.

“Help me look for him, then.”

This time the man barked out a laugh that sounded awfully akin to an earthquake.

“You know, there are better ways to die than coming here and acting like a fool…” 

 

“I’m no fool. Help me out and I'll get out of your hair. You'll never have to see me again and people will forget you ever let a woman humiliate you.”

He looked pensive for a second, so much that Clarke really thought he would comply. But then his hand was in his leather jacket and it drew out a very sharp looking knife.

“Or I could slit your throat and make you regret you ever-“

Before he could finish Nathan, who had been silent and motionless during the whole exchange, had come to stand between the two of them. His hand hovering above a gun securely tucked under his own jacket.

He didn't say anything, just looked at the man with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Another one of you flatties… you really have some nerve coming here.”

“What do you mean ‘another’?” Asked the boy without moving his hand away from his weapon.

“You better beat it if you value your life.” He snarled.

Right then a bald man with a pointed nose and a slightly haughty look approached them. He stood beside big bad man and spoke.

“Gustus, I believe this is not the best way to handle this.”

The taller man grunted but lowered the knife anyway.

“As for you…” he said with an even voice turning to them. “I do not allow outsiders to cause turmoil in this place. I would appreciate it if you would follow me out.”

The girl looked at the young cop and they both reluctantly nodded. They walked after him outside of the pub where the man with one eye from before and a black woman with short hair and a wrathful look were standing.

As she was starting to plan a way to get back inside and look for her friend, she heard a thud and a yelp and when she turned in confusion she barely had the time to register Nathan's limp body on the floor and a sudden, sharp pain in the back of her head before everything faded to black.

 

***

 

As she left her car in the parking lot, Lexa felt loud laughters and louder music coming from the pub and a feeble voice in her head started trying to talk her out of it, turn around and leave this place before the worst.  
But her luck had ran short these days apparently and when she heard her cousin calling her from the door she mentally cursed herself.  
Too slow.

“Hey Lex! Are you just gonna stand there all night? Come here, I was waiting for you.”

“I might.” She grumbled joining her a moment later.

Anya grinned. “Aren’t you a real delight, duckling” She playfully patted her cheek and made her way inside.

“Don’t call me that”

The pub was called ‘Ronnie Scott' and it was very irish-looking: wooden seats, wooden tables and ceiling, a low yellow light and loud blues music playing.

They caught sight of Lincoln right away, it was never hard to find him considering his height, he was standing by the counter with two girls and, upon spotting them, her sister forze.

“Oh shit.”

“What?”

“Shitshitshitshitshit! I must have been a real crazy bastard in my past life! Shit, I'm so very sorry for everything my past self has done to this world!” She spoke fast without catching a breath, her eyes fixed to were their cousin was still speaking, unaware of them being there.

“Anya, would you care to enlighten me as to why we're standing here when you looked so thrilled to meet them just ten seconds ago?”

The blonde turned to her with her brows knitted in thought. Lexa knew her well enough to recognize her ‘I need to get myself out of this mess don't speak to me I won't listen' expression, so she poked her in the ribs, earning a yelp and a glare from her.

“I might have been caught looking at one of Lincoln’s friends this morning at the Busy Bean's.” She blurted out.

“Lord, please tell me it's not the one with his arm currently draped over her shoulders ‘cause that would be awful.”

“No, it’s not… and thank God for that! It's the one with the red jacket.”

“See? You already have been proved this could have been much worse.”

“You really don't get it…”

“Hey big sis! Lex, you made it!”

They both jumped at the sound and turned to find Lincoln walking over to them, the two brunettes at his side.

“Hi! I'm Octavia” Said the shorter one with a bright smile, extending her arm towards the two. They both shook her hand and Lexa realized the other girl was staring just as astonished as her cousin and was startled awake by Octavia elbowing her in the stomach.

“Raven Reyes!” Blurted out the girl as if on reflex. Octavia threw her a curious look but didn't say anything.

“I'm Lexa. Nice to meet you.” She shook her hand as well and gave her cousin a side way glance as she did the same murmuring a quiet “Anya.”

“O-okayyyy, looks like we've got the introduction phase out of the way… how about a drink, now?” Said Octavia pulling her boyfriend back to the counter with her.

“Amen” Sighed the blonde as they followed after them.

“I second that” Muttered the girl called Raven.

They drank beer and made some small talk. Lexa found out Raven was an engineer, “a damn great one” as she said, and Octavia was working hard to become a cop like her brother.

After a while it seemed like Anya had made it through her initial shock and quickly loosened up. She told them she owned a firing range and even almost smiled when she told them they were free to come for a visit whenever they wanted to.

Lexa told them she was a literature major, which wasn’t entirely untrue, it just wasn’t the whole truth.  
There was not a way to tell them she actually ran a secret, half criminal organization, anyway, she thought.

After some chatting, some drinking and a game of darts which Octavia won (Lexa let her, for the sake of truth) the green eyed girl was ready to call it a night.  
She actually kind of liked Lincoln’s girlfriend and their friend and it had been good to catch up with him as well. It had been a long day, though, she was too exhausted to really enjoy anyone's company at the moment. She was about to tell them when they started talking about someone she didn’t know.

“I thought Griffin was gonna be here tonight” Raven said at some point.

“Yeah, I texted her but she said she's probably not gonna make it” answered Octavia with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

“Is she alright?” asked Lincoln.

“I don't know, she was pretty vague. She didn't even tell us where she was going.”

At that Raven cut in. “She bolted out after a call from her mother, it was a bit weird actually.”

“Yeah, well… she's been pretty secretive for a while, anyway. I don't know what's up with her but we're her friends, she should talk to us if something's wrong, that's how it works”

“It’s that period of the year, O… just go easy on her, she'll come around, I'm sure.”

“Wait, is Griffin the blonde one?” Everyone turned to Anya with a surprised look. She seemed to regret immediately her words and her eyes widened a bit.

“I mean… You were at the Busy Bean's this morning, I have photografic memory.”

“I bet” murmured Raven so faintly Lexa would have missed it if she wasn't sitting next to her.

Things were just getting interesting, Lexa barely had the time to consider staying when her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

“Really?” Anya asked disbelievingly.

Lexa just fixed her with a glare. She excused herself and got ready to face any inconvenience Titus needed to consult her about.

“I'm sorry, it's work. It was really good to catch up with you Linc! Octavia, Raven, it was nice to meet you”

Anya gave her a strange look as she headed out, and she looked so embittered that for a second Lexa felt the need to put the phone away and get back to the table with them.

She almost did.

 

***

 

Clarke registered three things when she came to her senses. Three things before she even opened her eyes.

First: she was lying on the ground.  
A rather cold and rough ground. She spit a strange mix of saliva and dust and felt nauseous for a moment.  
Second: she wasn't alone. She heard distinct voices murmuring around her.  
The last notion was possibly her least favourite: her head hurt like a bitch. And as she slowly came back to reality she felt it growing even stronger.

When she finally tried to take a look around she came face to face with another realization: this place was pitch black, she couldn't see shit.

“Glad to see you back with us, princess.” Her heart made a somersault in her chest and she jumped to her feet as fast as she could.

“Bell! You're alive!” They shared a hug and before he could say anything she punched his arm.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“I told you not to get in trouble! How did you manage to get caught in less than 24 hours?”

“Well, that's rich coming from you, seen as you're in the same position”

“ ’Cause I came looking for you, you dumbass!”

“Okay, let's slow down a bit.” Nathan whispered suddenly. “Let’s find a way out of this mess first and then we can argue ‘till our hearts content.” Both Clarke and Bellamy nodded. “Good… Clarke, do you remember anything?”

She shook her head looking defeated. “Just you on the ground and then nothing.”

“Let's take a look around, see if we find something” Suggested the young man.

Clarke did as she was told and started searching aimlessly. She heard Bellamy talk but ignored him.

“It’s useless… I've been here for hours and couldn't find shit.”

There was a dim streak of light leaking through the side of the metal door and it's spyhole. She inspected it and heard noise from the other side. She slowly recognized the sound of footsteps coming closer and tried to get away from the door, stepping on something that cracked lightly under her feet. She crouched down and found pieces of a broken glass.  
When the door opened all three of them had to close their eyes for a second to the sudden illumination. All they could see were black figures moving and then they heard a voice. Clarke was sure she recognized it from the man that threatened her at the pub, Gustus.

“Get on your feet, Blondie. The commander wants to see you.”

“Wait, she doesn't know anything, I'll come with you!” Bellamy tried to say standing between the girl and the men but Gustus hit him hard in the face sending him flying on the floor.

Nathan was fast to reach him to check on him and Clarke was about to do the same when a strong hand stopped her.

“Heda's orders.” He growled and she could do little but follow him. She heard Bellamy's faint protests as she was escorted out.

As soon as they left the cells, Clarke found herself in a sort of dungeon with low neon lights and a narrow tunnel.

She was cuffed and blindfolded and led through different doors and an elevator. She heard voices and noises and tried to calm her heartbeat, determined not to show any fear, but she probably failed miserably.  
She needed to find a way out if she wanted to survive.

Suddenly they came to a stop. She was being uncuffed and she felt a hand move the blindfolds on her eyes to her mouth. The man disregardingly tugged at the cloth and the girl, taken by surprise, let out a pained sound.

“If you so much as look at her the wrong way I will slit your throat.”

‘Her?’ she thought as she silently nodded.

She was pushed through a large wooden door and almost fell on her knees but manages to find her balance before she could.

She had time to make out a room lit with several yellow lamps and a few people standing on the sides.

Then she raised her head and saw her.  
Her heart skipped a few beats because she was sitting on a throne, her stance rigid, regal, black paint on her face making the colour of her eyes look almost as dark, and she was looking straight at her with a haughty, solemn look.

And she was so different from the quiet girl reading Blake in a bar and yet she wasn't. Still so beautiful it hurt, still as calm and noble as she was everytime she saw her, although so scary and different.  
And yet, once again, Clarke could do nothing but stare in silence as her heart broke.

Because this girl that wouldn't leave her mind could be the same that got her father killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally meet! ^.^


End file.
